


A Good Book

by OrangeStreak



Category: Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bookstores, M/M, Meaningless Fluff, Natasha Is a Good Bro, Saturday afternoon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-10
Packaged: 2018-12-26 04:38:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12051489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeStreak/pseuds/OrangeStreak
Summary: It's autumn. Bucky heads out on a Saturday afternoon. Warm and cosy feelings follow, well, I think so anyway!





	A Good Book

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This was written and edited in, literally, one hour. It's unbeta-ed. I was having a creative moment and went with it! Enjoy!

Bucky was frustrated, oh so frustrated. He just wanted to get some work done but his laptop decided to blue screen him! He didn’t need this. He decided that going for a walk and having a coffee would solve his problem. It was a warm Saturday afternoon in fall. Bucky pulled on his Regatta sweater. He did the mandatory phone, wallet and keys check and away he went. He decided the route through the park would be best. Bucky loved fall, so the multicoloured falling leaves would definitely de-grump him! 

He meandered down the path through the wooded area. The ground littered with reds, yellow and browns. Bucky snapped a few photos for his instagram account. His filtered nature posts racked up plenty of likes. Bucky closed his eyes, allowing his other senses to take over. Sounds of children carried over from the playground. The crunching of crisp leaves underfoot. The light breeze rustling the leaves. Bucky focused on what he could smell. Something earthy? Compost and freshly cut grass. He opened his eyes continuing to his favourite coffee shop. There was a reason Capulus was his favourite. The staff was friendly without being overbearing. The atmosphere was calm. He could sit at a table to get work done or he could chill on the comfy sofas. Today Capulus was filled with noisy teenagers. Bucky groaned. He decided to take his coffee to go. 

Capulus was situated three doors down from Bucky’s favourite bookstore. Bucky Barnes was a major book nerd. He could read anything and everything. His hunger for knowledge was insatiable. He loved allowing his mind to travel to places and learn about experiences he may never have. Reading allows him to escape from life for a little bit. Lectio was an independent bookstore, a point in its favour. Many a time Bucky spent hours upon hours there lost in a different world. Steve was working today. He nodded to him as he entered. Another reason Lectio was Bucky’s favourite was because of Steve, that blond dork. Bucky knew Steve was a sweetheart. He would often see him reading to young children in the ‘Future Readers’ section, most bookstores have a kiddie corner or some equivalent. Not Lectio, they took children’s literature very seriously. Give children an enjoyable beginning to literature and it will be a lifelong love. 

Bucky browsed the staff recommendation section. He always read Steve’s choice. On regular occasions they had in depth discussions regarding that month’s selection. Of course Bucky already read this month’s pick; he and Steve already had a riveting discussion. Bucky continued to browse as he watched Steve engage with a shy teenager. Bucky could see the book she had was an lgbtq+ novel. He wandered closer to hear what Steve told her. It turns out the teenager wasn’t out to her parents. She worried they would find the book. Steve offered to keep the book behind the counter and she could read it here whenever she liked. He told her to be true to herself and only come out when she feels ready and safe. Bucky was a puddle on the floor! He could not deal with this man. Was he even real?

Bucky sipped his coffee; otherwise he would sigh or cry. He turned to the nearest shelf. He ran his hand along the book spines. His hand passed over a hardback. Bucky was a sucker for hardbacks. He pulled it out. It was one he hadn’t read. Lectio provided an array of seating options. Tucked between the philosophy and art section was a multicoloured armchair which Bucky favoured. Thankfully it was unoccupied. He wiggled in, getting comfy. This position allowed for a perfect view of the pay and helpdesk, which is where Steve is right now. He leans forward over the desk, squinting at something across the store, he writes something down and looks back up to squint. Steve looks down to write something. Natasha plops the book on the counter beside Steve, presumably what he squinted. She says something Bucky doesn’t hear. It makes Steve laugh. The sound carries over to Bucky. That delightful sound ascends him to heaven. He sighs watching Steve and Natasha interact. He always thought they were good friends until he saw them kissing outside a bar months ago. Despite that Bucky’s crush never subsided. Before he gained this information he thought Steve might actually return his feelings for him, but alas Bucky continues to be a member of the lonely hearts club.

He drags his eyes back to the pages in front of him. Bucky took a sneaky sniff of the pages. The smell of a book was high on the list of Bucky’s favourite things. No matter what anyone told him he would not buy into that eBook crap. He didn’t care if it was easier for travelling. His nickname for a while was ‘Belle’, given after the character from Beauty and the Beast. Bucky smiled to himself because his nose wasn’t ALWAYS stuck in a book, just the majority of the time! He fell into the fictionally world in his grasp. 

Bucky looked up when his eyes became tired. It was dark outside, when did that happen? He checked his watch. Five minutes until closing time. He decided to purchase the book; he was already locked into the characters. Bucky swallowed, approaching Steve. The blond smiles, taking the book from him. Bucky wished their hands touched. Steve asked how his weekend was going. Bucky said fine. He told him about his walk through the park and his love for fall. Steve smiled; he said fall was his favourite season. Bucky urged his heart to calm down, at this rate it would bust out of his body. Natasha came out from the back room. She turned the corner behind the counter. She stood behind Bucky asking how he was. He turned, facing her to answer. Soon after that he paid and left. He dumped his coffee cup in a nearby trashcan. 

Bucky took a deep breath. There was a chill in the air and he loved it. Sometimes after spending hours in the Lectio Bucky often wondered what it would be like to spend time with Steve outside the parameters of the bookstore. Bucky was a dreamer. He let his mind drift to the pretend scene his mind created. The fantasy that occurred most often would be Steve and Bucky sitting in Bucky’s living room bay window, their legs tangled, the warm tones of the setting sun reflecting on their faces. They would both have a steaming mug of coffee and a book, sharing a laugh. Just like a scene from ‘A Single Man’. 

Bucky didn’t feel like cooking. He stopped into Primassoi. He ordered the monster meat pizza, because meat and dough were divine. He rushed home, the scent of pizza waffling up was almost too much to handle. He devoured his pizza in record time. Feeling like something was missing; Bucky scooped a big bowl of honeycomb ice-cream. He always had a supply. He grabbed his new book from the paper bag on the counter. He lit the fire in the living room. He sat close basking in its warmness. The image of him and Steve sharing an evening entered his head again. He briskly shook it away, but how he loved his fantasies. 

Bucky flipped open the book cover, inside was a handwritten note! From Steve! The note contained Steve’s’ phone number with a smiley face and told Bucky to call him because Steve has waited long enough and Nat was sick of them dancing around each other. 

What? What?! Steve had a crush on Bucky?! When did Steve write that? Maybe when his back was turned when he spoke with Natasha? But aren’t Steve and Natasha an item? Surely not? Maybe they broke up? He grabbed his phone. Call or text? Call! He waited too long. It looked like his fantasy was about to become reality!

**Author's Note:**

> Well, you're reading this. So......was it an awful mess?


End file.
